Just One Night
by Christiangirl
Summary: Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out, oh so quickly, that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.
1. Chapter 1 Grissom Makes a Terrible Mis

**CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT**

**Author: **Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer: **Do I own CSI? Of course not, whatever gave you that idea? (TEE-HEE-HEE-HEE). I'm just borrowing Griss and the gang for a bit.

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note: **This is an A/U fic.

Chapter One: Grissom Makes A Terrible Mistake

As Grissom sat in the airport waiting for his flight to be called for boarding, he thought about the events that brought him to this place. He also thought about the fateful decision to cast caution to the wind It felt so right the moment he took the chance at tasting that forbidden fruit. Now, he sat in the waiting area of McCarran International Airport, on the verge of a breakdown of massive proportions.

'What have I done?' Grissom asked himself in thought. 'Me of all people should have known the consequences of my indiscretion.'

At the precise moment, Grissom's plane was called for boarding. He was glad to have a seat in first class, as it meant that he would be able to get on the plane and soon out of Las Vegas forever.

Grissom was in a very dark and sullen mood, which meant that he was in no condition to talk with anyone. As luck would have it, an older lady sat next to him and immediately started talking to him.

"Hi there, handsome," she began in friendly conversation with the quirky entomologist. "My name is Katherine DuPont, but you can call my Kathy. Everyone else does."

'Oh great,' Grissom began in thought to himself, 'I would have to be seated next to a Chatty Kathy.'

"My name is Gil Grissom," Grissom replied simply, wanting to keep everything short, sweet and to the point.

"The famed entomologist, the one that put the Las Vegas Crime Lab on the map?" Mrs. DuPont replied in askance.

"I don't know about famed," Grissom began dryly, "but that's me."

"Well it's nice to meet you, young man," Mrs. DuPont began, "it's nice to see young people doing some good for our society."

"Well, Mrs. DuPont," Grissom began, hoping this conversation was coming to a joyous end, "I'll be 43 years old in about a few months. I'm far from being a young man, as you put it."

"You'll be 43 years old in a few months," Mrs. DuPont began incredulously, "big deal! I just celebrated my 80th birthday this past week, which is why I came to Vegas. It was my husband's gift to me. Sonny, when you get to be my age, everybody under 60 is a young man!"

"Oh, okay," was all Grissom was able to say. Mrs. DuPont managed to get Grissom to smile a very small smile. The woman was amusing.

At that moment, a man that seemed to in his 80s came up to Grissom and Mrs. DuPont as they finished their conversation.

"Hey Kathy," the older man began breathlessly, "you left me behind."

"Oh, Dr. Grissom," Mrs. DuPont began, ignoring her husband's complaining, "This is my husband, Dr. John DuPont. He's a retired botanist. Honey, this is Dr. Grissom, the famed entomologist."

"Are you by any chance related to Dr. Gilbert Grissom, the famed botanist?" Dr. DuPont asked.

"Yes, he's my Dad." Grissom replied simply.

Just then, pilot put the fasten seat belt sign on. Then, a few short minutes later, the plane was airborne and on it's way to Los Angeles, California.

Grissom dosed off, leaving Dr. and Mrs. DuPont to converse amongst themselves.

**Los Angeles International **

A few hours later, Grissom was walking to the baggage claim to pick up his suitcase. As he was walking towards the baggage claim area, he heard a voice calling his name. It was his mother, Victoria Grissom. She was with his father, Dr. Gil Grissom Sr. and her sister, Lucille Santucchi-Wainwright.

Victoria Grissom ran to her precious 'Gilly Bear,' giving her grown-up Baby Boy a great big hug. Mrs. Grissom had a hunch that there was more to Grissom's visit than he let on, but she was just so very glad to see him.

"Hi, Gilly Bear," Victoria greeted her son brightly, her hands fluttering effortlessly, as she spoke and signed her greeting. "What brings you here? Is everything all right back home in Las Vegas?"

"Everything is fine, Mom," Grissom lied. "I just needed to get away from Vegas for a little while, you know, take a break from the same old, same old?"

"Okay, Son, if you say so." Victoria signed and spoke simultaneously. Victoria felt that her son was holding something back, but she decided not to call him on it, as she did not want to get into an argument with her son, being she hadn't seen him in over 2 years. Just then. Grissom's suitcase came around which he grabbed immediately, being that he wanted to get to his parents house. They left the airport and headed toward Santa Monica, California.

**Beautiful Santa Monica, California**

As Grissom entered his parents' home, the beauty of his childhood home floored him. His parents had apparently made some upgrades to the 45 year old home.

"WOW!" Grissom exclaimed, as he beheld the beautifully updated home. He excused himself and went to his bedroom, which was on the 2nd floor of the home.

As Grissom put his clothes into the drawers of the antique dresser, he noticed that his room basically remained the same, except for the tact that the bedroom had been enlarged to include a private luxurious bath that rivaled the master bathrooms in the many mansions in the Summerlin section of Las Vegas. Just then, Victoria came to check on her son.

"Son," Victoria signed, "are you hungry?"

"Nah, not really." Grissom replied simply in sign.

"When was the last time you ate, Son?" Victoria asked in sign. "If you tell me about eating airplane food, that does not count."

"I'll make myself a salad," Grissom signed his reply. He didn't want a lecture on proper eating. His mother was always ready to pounce on him, which made him shake in his boots, even though he was in his 40s.

"Okay, Son," Victoria signed in reply, smiling. "I know you didn't come hundreds of miles to hear a lecture on healthy eating."

Grissom ate a light salad and went to bed, as he was wiped out by the events of the past few days. He had a lot of thinking to do regarding his relationship with one CSI-3 Sara Moonbeam Sidle.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2 Just One Night

CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT

**CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT**

**Author: **Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note: **This is an A/U fic and I have Grissom's father still living. If you find any typos, please let me know, and I'll update this chapter. Thanx so very mcuh for your reviews.

**Chapter Two: Just One Night**

In Las Vegas, the team was shocked when Conrad Ecklie, the lab's assistant director and not Gil Grissom greeted them.

"I know you all are wondering why I am here and not Gil," Ecklie began in explanation. Just then, Catherine spoke up, trying to lighten the mood that had descended on the team.

"Did Gil finally decide to take some of that vacation time he had stored up?" Catherine asked, trying to relieve the suffocating atmosphere that seemed to prevail in the break room. "I mean, he has at least 30 weeks of vacation time stored up, perhaps even more. He is after all, a workaholic."

"Gil had decided to take some time off." Ecklie began, not fully sure what was really going on with the quirky entomologist, as he got it second hand from Dr. Robert Carvallo, the lab's director. "Gil has submitted a leave of absence request form to Dr. Carvallo for 6 months to indefinite."

There was a collective gasp amongst the CSIs. They were totally shocked to learn of Grissom's decision to take a leave of absence from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. The person who was affected the most by this news was Sara Sidle. She began to remember the night that she and Grissom decided to spend one last night together. Actually, it had been Sara's decision. She wanted to move on with her life, but Grissom had other plans. He wanted them to try for a relationship, but Sara had grown tired of Grissom's one step forward, two steps back game. She had given up on ever having a romantic relationship with Grissom.

_**A Few Nights Ago**_

_A few nights ago, Grissom had given himself a decomp in the desert. According to David's preliminary findings, he put victim's time of death at about two to three weeks, give or take a few days._

_As Grissom came entered the locker room, he heard someone's voice off in the background. It sounded like Sara's beautiful voice._

"_Eww, it smells like someone had a decomp tonight," Sara began, assuming that she was speaking to Greg, the newest CSI. Greg tended to drive Grissom up the wall at times. "What did you do to piss Grissom off?"_

_Grissom's blood turned to ice when he heard Sara's words. 'Am I really that bad?' Grissom asked himself in thought. 'What have I done?' Grissom decided to show himself to Sara at that precise moment. When Grissom and Sara's eyes met, they were slightly embarrassed. A very uncomfortable silence then descended on the locker room, which was very thick. Grissom decided to be the first to break the oppressive silence._

"_Um, Sara, um," Grissom began as he stumbled over his words. "I didn't realize I was that bad to you and the others. Um. I apologize."_

"_No, Griss, I'm the one that should apologize," Sara began apologetically. "It was a very bad joke, sorry."_

"_Sara, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for." Grissom replied, attempting to his thoughts together, as Sara had a power over him that just seem to overwhelm him at times. "You've been the absolute picture of professionalism. Thanks for putting up with me and my sometimes sour moods."_

"_You're welcome, Griss." Sara replied softly. 'Oh, by the way, you reek!"_

"_Gee, thanks," Grissom began offering Sara a small smile that she hadn't seen on Grissom's face for many months._

"_Lemons." Sara replied, then she dashed from the locker room._

"_Thanks, Sara!" Grissom yelled out to make sure Sara heard him._

_In the lab parking lot, Grissom approached Sara, as she talked with Judy and Nick about their plans for their days off._

"_Sara, might I have a word with you?" Grissom asked softly._

"_Sure, Griss," Sara replied. "What's up?"_

"_I was wondering, um, I mean, um, I," Grissom began stumbling over his words. 'I can do this,' Grissom began in thought, 'I can quote Shakespeare, I can surely ask a girl out on a date.'_

"_What were you wondering, Griss?" Sara asked trying to stifle a chuckle that she barely contained._

'_Here goes nothing,' Grissom began to himself._

"_I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me?" Grissom asked. 'There, I said it. I wonder if she would consider dating me.'_

"_Grissom," Sara began, using Grissom's full name, meaning that he may not like the response Sara would giving him. "I don't think we should date…" Sara would have continued, but Grissom interrupted her._

"_Let's go out to dinner and see what happens, okay?" Grissom asked the same question Sara posed to him a few years ago._

"_Grissom," Sara began in mild exasperation, "I asked you the same question a few years ago. Do you remember what I said after you turned me down? How I said by the time you figure this out, you really could be too late? Well, guess what, you're too late." As Sara turned to leave, Grissom grabbed her gently by her arm, in an attempt to halt her hasty exit. When Sara glared at him, he quickly let her arm go, but he blocked her path, effectively hedging her in._

"_Please, Sara," Grissom began in desperation, "give me another chance. I know I haven't been the friend you needed me to be. I had issues with my hearing, and I just didn't handle it well.." Grissom would have continued, but Sara interrupted him, attempting to keep her tears at bay._

"_Look, Gil," Sara began sadly, "we've been through all of this already. There's no reason to re-hash this all over again."_

"_Look, Sara." Grissom began to plead his case. But, once again, Sara interrupted him._

"_No, you look, Grissom," Sara began firmly, "you chose not to tell me about your hearing problems, what's even worse, you kept me in the dark about your surgery. I had to hear it second hand from Catherine. You couldn't come to me yourself and tell me about your surgery. That's what friends do, but I guess I didn't rank high in your sight as a friend."_

"_I only told Catherine, because I had to," Grissom began, once again pleading his case before the woman he loved more than life itself._

"_You had to tell Catherine?" Sara asked incredulously. "Why is that Grissom?"_

"_She had to fill in for me as the night supervisor." Grissom replied._

"_Okay, Grissom." Sara replied too tired to carry on this conversation with Grissom. "I'm through with this non-relationship thing we've got going on. We need to part ways, that's all there is to it. I've heard that Terri Miller has gotten a divorce. Perhaps you and she can get back together. Or, you can finally go back to Lady Heather, since you're free and she's no longer a suspect in any of our cases." That last comment was added to hurt Grissom, as Sara was still bitter about Grissom's treatment of her after he found out about her relationship with Hank Peddigrew, that wasn't a relationship at first, but Grissom chose to believe Dr. Philip Gerard over her. Grissom then gave his blessing to this non-relationship that she and Hank had going on. Well, at least he wasn't a suspect in an active case._

"_Sara, I realize I've made many mistakes in the past," Grissom began in desperation, "but falling in love with you was NOT a mistake."_

"_You're in love with me?" Sara asked. "Your words sound so beautiful, but I've had enough of your hot one minute and cold the next."_

"_Give me one more chance, please Sara?" Grissom pleaded with the woman he loved more than anything else in the world._

"_No, Grissom." Sara replied, and then added, "Since I'm not worth risking your career for, I guess I'll just be about my business."_

"_What did you just say?" Grissom replied completely mortified that Sara was in the observation room while he and Captain Jim Brass interrogated Dr. Vincent Lurie regarding the death of Sara's 'doppelganger', Nurse Debbie Marlin._

"_You heard me, Grissom," Sara began losing her temper, "now get out of my way."_

"_Please, Sara, hear me out," Grissom pleaded with pain in his eyes_

"_Okay, okay," Sara responded, throwing up her hand in surrender. Sara decided to give Grissom a few, albeit, short minutes of her time._

"_Just give me one night, Baby," Grissom was desperate, "that's all I need." Grissom reasoned with himself, 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.'_

_Sara stood there with her mouth opened in shock. She couldn't believe this was the same man that said he couldn't risk his career for her just a few short months ago._

"_Sara, c'mon, Congress doesn't deliberate this long," Grissom attempted to lighten the mood that descended on them by joking with Sara. This was no laughing matter, Grissom's romantic life was hanging in the balance._

"_Just one night with no strings attached?" Sara asked to get clarity on the situation._

"_Yes," Grissom sighed sadly, disappointed that Sara seemed happy just to have a one-night stand with him._

"_Okay, let's do it." Sara replied, relieved to be finally getting one Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom out of her system._

_Grissom and Sara set their plan in motion, but little did they know that the best laid out plans don't always work out the way they were planned._

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3 The Best Laid Out Plans: NOT

CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT

**CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT**

**Author: **Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note: **This is an A/U fic for the mere fact that I have Grissom's Dad still alive (this is so not canon, sorry people).

**Chapter Three: The Best Laid Out Plan: NOT!**

As the team sat in the break room waiting for assignments, Sara was uncharacteristically silent, which caused Nick Stokes to be much concerned.

"Hey, Kiddo," Nick began, concerned, "a penny for your thoughts."

"My thoughts are worth way more than a mere penny, Nicky," Sara replied, attempting to joke with the team, in an attempt to hide her pain from them.

"Ha, ha, ha," Nick began, "very funny, Sar."

Catherine came into the break room with only one assignment slip, a DB in a room at the Four Aces Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, which she decided to give to Greg, as a solo gig. She felt he needed the experience.

"Greg, we have a DB in Room 419 at the Four Aces Hotel," Catherine began, "you're solo. Detective Mike Vartan is already there, waiting for a CSI."

"A 419 in Room 419," Greg began, humming the Twilight Zone theme song, "that's way too creepy for me."

"Just get going, Junior," Catherine began in amusement. "Sara, how are you and Nick coming along on your Lake Mead stabbing victim?"

"She's still a Jane Doe," Sara began. After looking over her notes, she continued, "we're checking through the missing persons file to see if anyone matches our Jane Doe."

"What happened with the dental records?" Catherine asked, halfway knowing Sara's response.

"Her teeth were utterly destroyed due to the blunt force trauma to her face." Sara replied in exasperation. "You would think that someone would come forth with information on the poor young woman, but we had no such luck."

"Okay, just work with what you already have," Catherine began, equally frustrated with the troublesome case. "We'll just have to wait and see what we come up with." With that, everyone went their separate ways to start on their respective assignments.

As Sara started to review the evidence in her and Nick's case, her mind drifted back to her one night of passion with Grissom.

**_A Hot Night of Passion for Grissom and Sara_**

"_Why don't you wear something on the elegant/romantic side, Sara?" Grissom asked. _

"_I'll see what I can do, Griss." Sara replied softly._

_Sara and Grissom went their separate ways after they solidified their plans for the night_

_Sara arrived home just shortly after 8:00 am. She stopped at the local grocery store to pick up much needed items for her and she also decided to buy desert for her and Grissom's night at his home._

_After Sara took a much-needed shower, she went to sleep thinking about her 'date' with Grissom. _

'_This should be very interesting,' Sara thought right before drifting off to sleep._

The Best Laid Out Plans – Grissom's POV

As Grissom sat at breakfast with his parents and aunt, his mind was taken back to the night he and Sara got together for the last time.

_Grissom was excited about the fact that Sara was going to spend the night with him. Oh, he knew it was only for one night, but he hoped to change Sara's mind about it being over the next day. He so wanted Sara in his life 'til death do us part', but he had messed with her heart so much, that she had given up on them ever being a couple. He loved her so much. _

_Grissom made vegetarian lasagna with roasted portabella mushrooms as an appetizer. He also had candles lit all over the living room, dining room, family room and also his master bedroom. It had a most romantic flair._

_Grissom wasn't dressed yet, as he had been busy setting everything up. He was very sad, in fact, Grissom had been sobbing softly, as he realized that this could be the last time he and Sara would have communications. Sara stated firmly that she had planned to move on with her life. Grissom knew that he would not be in her life, and that bothered him something awful._

"_Well, I guess I better get ready," Grissom softly spoke to himself. Just then, the doorbell rang. Grissom opened the door, and there stood one very stunning and tall brunette, holding his favorite desert, Tiramisu._

"_Sara, you look stunning." Grissom spoke as he took in the beautiful vision that was Sara Sidle. Sara gave Grissom the Tiramisu, which he put in the refrigerator. _

"_I'm sorry that I'm not dressed yet, Sara," Grissom began apologetically. "I was busy getting things ready for us."_

"_It's okay, Griss," Sara began blushing, as she felt Grissom's eyes roaming all over her body. "You look gorgeous in your Harvard tee shirt and blue jeans. That's a very, very handsome look on you, Griss."_

"_Thank you," Grissom replied shyly. "Would you like anything to drink?"_

"_What do you have?" Sara asked in reply._

"_I have a nice red wine, bourbon and scotch," Grissom began listing all selections to Sara. "If those are a bit strong for you, I also have beer, soda and water."_

"_I'll take water, for now," Sara began smiling, "I want to make sure I'm alert and sober for our date."_

"_Water it is for My Lady," Grissom replied in a faux English accent._

_Grissom went to get Sara a bottle of water. _

"_Here you go, Sara," Grissom began with a small smile on his face. "I'll be down in a few minutes." With that, Grissom hurried up to his bedroom to put his suit on. He had already showered, so all he needed to do was to get dressed._

_While Grissom went upstairs to get dressed, Sara took a few moments to take in her surroundings. She noticed the candles arranged around the living room, dining room, and ending in the family room. 'Grissom has romance on his mind.' Sara thought to herself_

_Grissom returned fully dressed and looking like he belonged on the cover of GQ. _

"_WOW!" Sara exclaimed when she took in the vision that was Grissom. "You look so totally awesome."_

"_You're just saying that," Grissom replied shyly, blushing furiously._

"_I am not just saying that, Grissom." Sara replied, wrapping her arms around Grissom's neck. _

"_Will you dance with me, Sara," Grissom asked shyly._

"_Yes, Gil." Sara replied simply. With that, she and Grissom began dancing slowly to the romantic classical music._

"_You called me Gil, Sara." Grissom replied._

"_I'm sorry, Grissom…," Sara began. She would have continued, but Gil interrupted her._

"_No, Sara," Grissom began, "I love it when you call me Gil."_

"_Okay, Gil." Sara replied, overwhelmed by Grissom's masculine scent. His scent was driving her totally wild._

_After about an hour of dancing, Grissom took Sara to the massive formal dining room, seating her at the beautiful oak dining table with two candles._

_As Sara looked around, she noticed that there was only one place setting. Upon seeing the confused expression cross Sara's beautiful features, Grissom decided to explain._

"_I thought it would be romantic if we took turns feeding each other," Grissom began in explanation. "So , just humor me, Sara."_

"_Okay," Sara smiled. "That is so romantic. Thanks, Griss, I mean, Gil." Grissom and Sara began taking turns feeding one another. This action, for some reason had Grissom becoming aroused._

_Grissom brought out the Tiramisu, which he put in a trifle dish. They totally devoured the wonderful desert._

_Grissom and Sara danced for one more hour before they decided to go to bed._

_Grissom lost his control, as Sara caressed him in a romantic way. When he could no longer contain himself, he picked Sara up and took her to his massive master bedroom, where he made beautiful love to her. Sara was totally surprised by the Grissom's passion. He never struck her as the passionate type. He seemed to be on the quiet side. He took her breath away._

_They thoroughly enjoyed each other and they made love off and on all night long._

_Grissom wanted to keep the night going on, he did not want the night to end. He realized that he was totally in love with Sara. He tightened his grip on Sara while they were sleeping._

'_One night with Sara Sidle would never be enough for me,' Grissom began in thought, 'whatever was I thinking. It's going to be too hard for me to let Sara move on with her life.'_

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4 The Morning After

CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT

**Author:** Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note**: This is an A/U fic, as I have both Grissom's father and Sam Braun still among the living. I so loved the Sam Braun character.

**Chapter Four: The Morning After**

Grissom's point of view about his and Sara's romantic tryst continued, as he sat at breakfast with his parents, Gil Sr. and Victoria Grissom and his Aunt, Lucille Santucchi-Wainwright.

_**The Morning After**_

_As the alarm went off, Grissom cringed within himself, knowing that this was the end. Grissom kissed Sara on the top of her head full of beautiful curls. He so wanted to keep her with him forever, but he knew that wouldn't be fare to Sara. She had the right to move on, it wasn't her fault that he waited too long to make his move on the woman he loved for almost forever._

_Sara woke up to see two very sad looking blue staring at her._

"_Good morning, Handsome," Sara began, sadly knowing that they would be parting ways, moving on with their lives._

"_Good morning, Beautiful." Grissom replied, unsuccessfully keeping his voice from trembling._

"_Well, I guess I'd better take a shower and get dressed," Sara began, "I have to run some errands before I go to work."_

"_What's the rush, Sara?" Grissom asked in total sadness. "I mean, why don't we at least have breakfast together?"_

"_Gil," Sara began calmly, as if she was speaking to a young child. "We've already been through this. We decided to move on with our lives, remember?"_

"_That was your decision, not mine." Grissom replied bitterly. "The only reason I went along with it was I wanted to show you how much I love you, but I guess my feelings don't matter, huh?"_

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Grissom." Sara began angrily. "You made your decision a long time ago when you made your confession to Dr. Lurie."

"_Sara, I love you!" Grissom replied desperately. "I can't live without you, don't you know that? Don't you realize that you're my heart and my whole life? Don't you know that you're the reason I come to work? If I can't have you, I have no reason to stay in Las Vegas."_

"_Grissom," Sara began sadly, "you're words sound so beautiful, but they're too little too late."_

"_BABY!" Grissom cried out. "DON'T LEAVE ME, SARA BABY! DON'T LEAVE ME!"_

"_I, I can't, Grissom!" Sara left Grissom's home sobbing._

_Grissom just couldn't believe what was happening. He couldn't believe that the woman he loved so much was leaving him, without as much as a second glance back. Grissom cried so much. He hurt so much and the pain in his heart was just too unbearable. He just had to get away from Las Vegas and Sara._

_Later that afternoon, Grissom walked into Dr. Carvallo's office with his leave of absence slip in his hand._

"What can I do for you, Gil?" Dr. Carvallo asked.

"_I need to take some time off." Grissom stated matter-of-factly._

"_Gil, I can't spare you the time," Dr. Carvallo began. "We're short staffed enough as it is."_

"_If you don't approve my leave of absence, then I'll have to quit." Grissom spoke the same words Sara had spoken to him a few years ago when she threatened to leave the lab, and him._

"_Okay, okay, Gil," Dr. Carvallo replied. "Just make sure you come back, the lab needs you, but most importantly, your team needs you."_

"_Yeah, well," Grissom began wearily, "you'll hire someone else and they'll forget all about me."_

"_Gil, have you really thought this through?" Dr. Carvallo asked in an attempt to get Gil to stay with the lab._

"_Yes. I have," Grissom lied. He really didn't think this through at all, as he was totally basing his actions on his broken heart, and he knew it. But, he couldn't let Dr. Carvallo know the truth. With that, Dr. Carvallo reluctantly signed Grissom's leave of absence form. Grissom left Dr. Carvallo's office and the lab._

_A few hours later, Grissom was finally back home. He was trying his hardest to stay away from his empty home. It had nice furnishings, but one thing was missing, and that was the love of a woman, his woman, Sara Sidle. _

_Just then, Grissom made a snap decision. He decided to put his massive home on the market. It really helped that not only was his neighbor was a highly talented real estate agent, but Mrs. Lyla Pinderhughes was one of the trustees of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. She and Grissom became great friends years ago when he first hit the lecture circuit. She considered Grissom her surrogate son._

_Grissom decided to call Mrs. Pinderhughes regarding his decision to put his house up for sale. Why not ask her to sell his home, since she was the real estate agent who sold him the home in the first place? Grissom then dialed Lyla's number. Mrs. Pinderhughes picked up after the third ring._

"_Lyla Pinderhughes here." Mrs. Pinderhughes responded into the receiver._

"_Hi, Lyla," Gil began, "how are you?" Grissom began with small talk._

"_I'm good, Gil," Lyla began, "thanks for asking. How are you?"_

_"I'm fine," Grissom lied._

"_To what do I owe this phone visit?" Mrs. Pinderhughes asked. Grissom then spoke to Mrs. Pinderhughes about his desire to put his home on the market, as he had planned to either stay in Las Vegas or get a smaller home, or just to move back to Southern California to be closer to his parents._

_Mrs. Pinderhughes said that she would be glad to represent Grissom as his seller agent. _

Grissom was shaken from his reverie by Victoria Grissom's question_._

"Gilly Bear," Mrs. Grissom began, "is everything all right?"

"Yeah, Mom." Grissom lied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you barely touched your breakfast." Victoria replied. "I happen to know that blueberry pancakes are your absolute favorite."

"Oh, Mom, I was just doing some thinking about my future at the Las Vegas Crime Lab." Grissom replied in sign language to his Mom, but to himself he thought, 'It's a total lie, I just left the part about Sara out.'

"Okay, Son," Victoria replied, choosing not to call Grissom on his true thoughts. Since Grissom kept silent, she decided to continue her train of thought. "Son, remember you can always come to me or your father whenever you need someone to talk to. If you feel like you need to vent, you know where to find me. If you ever decide to go back to Las Vegas, you know you can always send me an instant message. No matter how late it is, I'll respond to you. You know that I'm a night owl." With that, Victoria got up from the dining room table, leaving Grissom with his many thoughts.

**Back at the Lab**

Sara was upset about Grissom leaving the lab. She knew that she had a large part in Grissom's decision to leave the lab. No matter how much she had been hurt by Grissom's indecision, she still should have given him another chance. Sara had absolutely no idea what to do. She knew whom she had to see.

"Hey, Cath," Sara began, smiling tentatively. " Have you got a moment?"

"Paperwork, Sara. Paperwork, Sara," Catherine began, pretending to have a pair of scales in her hands.

"You win, Sara," Catherine began smiling at the younger woman. "How can I help you?"

"Are you sure you have time?" Sara asked, eyeing all of the paperwork Grissom had left behind, which Catherine had the un-pleasure to do.

"Sara, I'm seriously trying to avoid Gil's leftover paperwork at all costs." Catherine replied.

"Well, Cath," Sara began sadly, "I think I'm the reason for Grissom's early departure from the lab."

"Sara, Gil only took a temporary leave of absence," Catherine began her statement of wishful thinking. Catherine didn't want her best friend of more than 10 years out of her life.

"No, Cath," Sara began tearfully, "he told me, oh, never mind." Sara could no longer keep her composure. She started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Sara, what are trying to say?" Catherine asked.

"Grissom once told me that if he couldn't have me, he didn't have a reason to stay in Vegas." Sara replied, sobbing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sweetie," Catherine began soothingly. "We'll get through this somehow. In the meantime, why don't you take some time off? You know, like clear your head. Since it's really slow tonight, I don't see it being any problem.

"What about Ecklie." Sara asked.

"What about Ecklie?" Catherine repeated Sara's question back to her.

"You know he can be a pain whenever it concerns me or Grissom." Sara replied.

I'll handle him, don't you worry about him." Catherine replied. "You just go home and get some rest, okay?"

"Okay." Sara replied.

"I'm not kidding, Sara," Catherine began using a mock tough tone. "I want you to get some much needed sleep. Or else I'll have Sofia's friend, Betty Rodgers, bake her world famous scones. You do remember those, don't you?"

"Ugh, yes." Sara replied grimacing, remembering the fowl tasting rock like scones. "I was sick for days after eating those horrid things."

"Go home and get some rest," Catherine began, "and no watching the Discovery Channel. And absolutely, positively no Forensic Files, you got me?

"Yes, Mother." Sara replied, attempting to joke through her pain.

"Ha, ha, ha," Catherine began; glad that Sara was trying to find what little humor she could in her situation. "Very funny." With that, Sara left the lab and went home. Catherine went back to work, helping Nick with his and Sara's case.

On the next day, in the afternoon, Catherine got a call from Sara. It seemed as though Sara wanted her advice on what to do about Grissom. Catherine was really surprised that Sara wanted to confide in her about the situation between her and Grissom. Catherine was all ears.

"Hi, Cath," Sara began apologetically, "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Hi, Sar," Catherine began. "You didn't wake me, I've been up for a few hours. I took Lindsey out for breakfast. She got straight A's on her report card."

"That's way cool!" Sara exclaimed joyfully. "Tell her congratulations for me."

"Will do, Sara," Catherine began, "so, what's up?"

"Um, I really need your help with something," Sara began embarrassingly.

"What do you need me to help you with?" Catherine asked.

"Um, I need, Um," Sara began stumbling over her words. "I need some help with clothes shopping."

"Sure thing, Sar." Catherine replied happily. "Which store would you like to go to? Talbot's is an excellent choice for getting both elegant formalwear and elegant casual clothing as well."

"Um, well, um, I," Sara began, once again stumbling over her words.

"What's wrong, Sar, the cat got your tongue or something," Catherine replied in amusement, knowing that this somehow had something to do with Gil Grissom. "Spill it out, Girl. The sooner you get it out, the better it'll be."

"Kay," Sara began nervously. "It's like this, I want to try and, you know, get some kind of a sexy outfit."

Sara suddenly stopped talking, which made Catherine very curious as to what Sara was getting at. She also wondered what could have her acting so strangely.

"So you want something sexy, eh?" Catherine asked. "Well, we could go to Victoria's Secret at the mall…" Catherine would have continued, but was interrupted by Sara's laughing.

"What's so funny, Sara," Catherine asked, as she began to laugh herself. She was glad to hear Sara laughing, and it was oh, so contagious.

"Oh, I just remembered something I said to Grissom about Victoria's Secret," Sara replied, still laughing at the memory of Grissom having never heard of Victoria's Secret. "Um, I don't think Victoria's Secret will have what I'm looking for."

"Really?" Catherine replied in askance. "Victoria's Secret is the epitome of sexy. Why don't we at least check them out?"

"Um, I need, um, well um," Sara began, blushing a lot. She was sure glad that she wasn't talking face to face with Catherine. She knew Catherine would get a kick out of seeing her blush. "Victoria's Secret just wouldn't have what I'm looking for."

All of the sudden, it dawned on Catherine what Sara was really looking for.

"You're looking for raunchy sexy, aren't you, Sar?" Catherine asked

"Yes." Sara replied simply.

"Then have I got the place for you," Catherine began. "It's a little store in Henderson. It's called Debbie's Little Playpen. It's not a hardcore adult store; it's like an NC-17 store. Would you like to check it out?"

"Yeah, let's give it a try." Sara replied, a nervous tint to her voice.

"There's no reason for you to be embarrassed, Sar," Catherine said. Catherine and Sara made plans to meet for lunch and then go look for the clothing that Sara needed. They disconnected their call and set about to get ready for lunch and shopping.

As Catherine and Sara sat in a little café in Henderson waiting on their orders, they shared a little small talk to pass the time.

"I'm so proud of Lindsey," Catherine began, "she's really working hard to keep her grades up."

"That's great, Cath." Sara replied happily. "How's Sam Braun doing?"

"He's doing much better," Catherine began. "We almost lost him. My mom is taking good care of him. Lindsey is staying with them for a few days and I'll be joining them in about two weeks. Lindsey enjoys hanging out at Sam's ranch."

"That's really nice," Sara began, "The ranch sounds totally relaxing."

"If you'd like to come down sometime, I don't think Sam would mind."

""Thanks, Cath," Sara began, "I may just take you up on that sometime. It seems that ranch living has changed Sam."

"It truly has," Catherine began, "but I think almost dying had a lot to do with it as well." Just then, their lunches came and they both dug in their meals.

**At Debbie's Little Play Pen**

Catherine and Sara looked around the quaint little store. It had the feel of a country inn rather than an adult shop.

As they continued to look around the store, Catherine noticed that Sara's attention had been drawn to a mannequin in the back of the store. The mannequin had a French maid's outfit on it. Catherine wasn't the only one that noticed Sara. A short and stocky man was eyeing Sara with lustful eyes. He approached the tall and lanky brunette with a smile on his face and lust in his eyes.

"You see something you like, Miss," the man asked smiling deviously.

'Um, yes, sir," Sara began feeling totally creeped out by the guy. "How much is that outfit?"

"For you, Doll," the older man began, "I'll give it to you for half-price."

Upon sensing Sara's discomfort, the man explained more clearly for Sara.

"It's on sale," Honey Bunch. "Here, why don't you try it on, and give me a private fashion show. Yeah, why don't you and your sexy partner give me a private showing?"

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Sara asked as she dug in her fanny pack for her Las Vegas PD id.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the older man replied. "Why wouldn't I want to see you gals parading around in these sexy garments? I wouldn't be a red-blooded American man if I didn't want to see two sexy women half-naked before me, now would I?"

"Well," Sara began smiling a smile that a tiger getting ready to pounce on its prey would envy. "I'm Sara Sidle and this is my partner, Catherine Willows, and we're criminalists with the Las Vegas PD Crime Lab." With that they both showed the rotund man their ids. The man apologized to the two lovely CSIs, profusely begging them not to tell his wife of his indiscretions. Debbie, the owner of the store was his wife.

Sara finally decided to get the French maid's outfit and some aromatic body oils and perfumes. Catherine also got some perfume and body oils for herself. The sales clerk was so afraid that the CSI ladies would tell his wife about his actions toward them, that he gave them a deep discount on everything they purchased.

After they finished shopping, Catherine and Sara went there separate ways.

As Grissom lay on the couch watching a special on the mating rituals of the household spider, his cell phone rang. He was really surprised, but when he saw the person's name and number, he was totally shocked. Grissom answered his phone on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" Grissom responded into the cell phone receiver in askance.

"Gil?" Catherine replied in askance.

"Yeah, Cath," Grissom replied in shock. "What's up?"

"Well, Gil, we need your help," Catherine began. "We have a body that has lots of bugs on it. And before you ask, yes we tried to get a few entomologists to consult for us, but it seems they're either on a high profile case themselves or are busy teaching seminars and couldn't get away."

'It's not a total lie,' Catherine thought to herself, 'it's the only way I can get him back to Vegas, and besides we do need his help with this case.'

"Look, Cath," Grissom began, bringing Catherine out of her thought, "I haven't decided whether or not I'm staying on at the lab."

"Well, Griss, we need you," Catherine began, "can't you decide what you plan to do after you consult on this case for us?"

"Yeah, I guess I can." Grissom replied with a sigh.

With that, Grissom and Catherine disconnected their call. Grissom then went to look for his mother to inform her that he would be leaving the next day and heading back to Las Vegas.

Grissom was so sad, as he didn't want to go back to the empty and lonely existence that he led back in Las Vegas.

"Mom," Grissom signed with as strange light in his eyes. "The lab needs me to consult on a case, so I'll be catching the first flight out of Vegas tomorrow morning."

"Okay, Son," Victoria began in sign. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Well, Mom," Grissom began sadly. "Whether I'm ready or not, doesn't really matter. Duty calls, and I don't want to let my team down."

"Did you hear what you just said?" Victoria asked smiling. Her grown up 'Baby Boy' was back.

"What?" Grissom replied in askance.

"You said that you didn't want to let 'your' team down," Victoria began signing and smiling. "You said your team, not the team. Gil, your life is in Las Vegas and not here in Santa Monica."

"Are you kicking me out, Mom?" Grissom asked in a mock sad voice, truly knowing that he belonged back at the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

"No, silly," Victoria spoke and signed, laughing at her son. She was truly happy to see that he was coming around. "If you'd like me and your Dad to come to Las Vegas to stay with you for a little while, we'll be glad to do it."

"I'd like that, Mom." Grissom replied, glad that he wouldn't be alone in the larger than life house. With that, Mother and Son discussed their plans with the Senior Gil Grissom. Gil Grissom Sr. was more than glad to get away from Southern California a little while. Grissom's Aunt Lucille couldn't make the trip. She was headed for a cruise to the Caribbean.

Grissom called Catherine to let know that he would be back in Vegas the next morning. He gave her his flight number and estimated time of arrival. He also informed her that his parents would be with him.

"Thanks, Gil," Catherine said. "Oh, and Gil have a great flight. I'll see you tomorrow morning.

"Thanks, Catherine." Grissom replied. With that, they disconnected their call.

Catherine called the lab to inform the team of Grissom's return. She also let them know that she wasn't sure if Grissom was back permanently.

Catherine called Sara to let her know personally that Grissom was coming back to Vegas early in the morning.

"Hey, Sar," Catherine began. "I thought you'd like to know that Grissom will be back early in the morning."

"Really?" Sara asked with a hopeful, but strange tone in her voice. "Cath, I think that God is allowing me a second chance with Gil."

"Sar, you sound kind of funny, what gives?" Catherine asked in concern.

"Well, uh, you see," Sara began, "it's like this." Sara then began to tell Catherine how she had moved some of her furniture into Gil's house and how she rearranged his house and put that butt-ugly black sofa down in his finished basement. Sara went on to tell Catherine that she had access to Gil's spare key. She also mentioned that she planned to make Grissom a vegetarian dinner wearing the French maid's outfit.

"Make sure you you're done cooking before Grissom gets there, Sar," Catherine replied. "Because, when Grissom sees you in that sexy little outfit, he's not going to be able to control himself, and food will be the furthest thing from his mind."

"I'll make sure dinner is done before he gets home." Sara replied simply. "What time is his flight due in?"

"He'll be in around 7 in the morning." Catherine replied. "Grissom's parents will be coming with him."

"That's nice." Sara replied.

"Grissom will be heading straight to the lab," Catherine began, "so that'll give you some time to have dinner done before he gets home and sees you in that outfit." With that, Catherine and Sara disconnected their call.

Grissom finished making all of the arrangements with the airline.

Grissom and his parents started packing for their trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. And although Grissom was nervous about going back Las Vega, he was also excited at the same time. He had planned to avoid Sara Sidle at every cost. He wasn't going to put his heart through the pain he put it through a short time before.

'Since Sara wants to move on with her life,' Grissom began in thought to himself, 'then so be it. I'll just move on with my life.'

Just then, Grissom's cell phone started ringing. He answered it on the third ring.

"Grissom here." Grissom replied into the cell phone receiver.

"Hey, Gil," Catherine began. "There's been a change of plans. Um, you need to go home alone. Your parents will be staying with me the first night."

"Why?" Grissom asked, not wanting to be alone in his home. "I don't want to be alone in that house, that's why I asked my parents to come to Vegas with me. I don't want to be lonely. You of all people should have known that!"

"Gil, I know you don't want to be lonely," Catherine began trying to calm Grissom down, "but it has to be done this way. You'll have to trust me on this one. Your parents will stay with me tomorrow night, okay?"

"Yeah," Grissom replied sadly.

"You'll be glad you listened to me," Catherine began, "trust me, Gil." With that, Grissom and Catherine disconnected their call. Grissom went to tell his parents of the changes in their plans. Grissom's parents didn't seem too surprised with the changes in their plans, and that kind of surprised him. Nevertheless, he didn't think anything of it, which pleased his parents. They then went to bed.

Grissom and his parents headed off to the airport, being dropped off by his Aunt Lucille.

A few hours later found the Grissoms' flight landing at McCarran International Airport. Grissom felt like butterflies were having a world war in his stomach. He was so nervous about being back in Las Vegas. He planned to avoid Sara at all costs. He did not want to see her. He knew his heart wouldn't be able to take another setback.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5 Back In Las Vegas

**CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT**

**Author: **Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note: **This is a totally A/U fic, as I have Grissom as a 33 year old virgin male (as you can tell, I like the virgin Grissom angle).

**Chapter Five: Back In Vegas**

As Grissom and his parents retrieved their luggage from the baggage claim, they heard someone calling them. Much to their surprise, it was Captain Jim Brass.

"Welcome back, Gil." Brass greeted his best friend.

"Thanks, Jim." Grissom replied. "Where's Catherine?"

"Now I'm hurt," Jim began in a mock hurt tone. "Here I am, coming to greet my best friend, and he asks me, 'where's Catherine?'"

"Sorry, Jim." Grissom replied. "Catherine told me that she would be here to meet us."

"Sam took her, Lindsey and her mother out for breakfast." Brass explained. "But Cath did say that she'd meet us later at the lab. You know I'm racking up the overtime on this crime."

"So, I've heard," Grissom replied. "Catherine told me about this case. She said the whole team was on this one." All of a sudden, confusion crossed Brass' ruggedly handsome features.

"I thought you were on vacation," Brass began, and then apologized to Grissom's parents..

"Please pardon my manners," Brass began apologetically, "hello, Mr. And Mrs. Grissom. It's nice to see you again."

"No need to apologize," Gil Sr. replied, while Gil Jr. signed for his mother's benefit." "What's with this Mr. And Mrs. Grissom stuff? You're practically family, Son. You can call me Gil and my wife Victoria."

"But don't you dare call me Vickie." Victoria said, startling Brass.

"I thought you were deaf," Brass began in utter amazement.

"I lost my hearing when Gil was 5 years old," Victoria replied. "I was 35 years old and already an avid talker with the gift of gab."

"YES LORD!!" Gil Sr. exclaimed in amusement, teasing his wife. His teasing earned him a playful swat on his arm. "What did I do?"

"Dear, have you forgotten that I can read lip," Victoria began laughing. "The next time you want to make some smart Alec type remark, either turn your head away from my line of sight, or cover your mouth." Everyone started laughing at Victoria's remark.

Brass helped Grissom load their luggage into the Denali. Brass made sure everyone was secure in the vehicle and safely buckled in. After Brass settled himself in the driver's side of the vehicle, he spoke.

"Weren't you on vacation?" Brass asked in confusion

"I was, but Catherine called me yesterday," Grissom began in reply, "and said the your DB had some kind of strange bugs on it. She said she tried to contact some entomologists, but it seems that they were either off teaching a seminar and couldn't get away, or they were working on high profile cases themselves."

"That's news to me," Brass began in total confusion. "She didn't mention about there being any bugs involved."

"What?" Grissom began. "No bugs involved in this case. Then why would she say call me and say that there were bugs involved?"

"I don't know, Gil," Brass began apologetically. He knew that Grissom was having a tough time with things and that he needed some time away from Las Vegas. "But, Gil one thing's for sure, we do need your help on this case."

"Okay, okay." Grissom replied trying to calm himself.

"Gil, we'll be heading to lab first," Brass began softly, as the information was for Gil's ears only. "We need to brief you on our case, as there have been some small developments that have come up, though not bugs, but some new things have come up. You need to be brought up to speed." With that, Brass put the car in drive mode and made his way towards the lab.

"What about my parents?" Grissom asked.

"They can wait in the break room," Brass began, clearly understanding Grissom's concern. They were working on a high profile case and it wouldn't bode well with the lab executive to have strangers walking around the lab. "Since everyone will be in the conference room, I don't think it would a problem with Dr. Carvallo and company."

"Mom and Dad," Grissom began, facing his mother and father. "Would mind you waiting in the break room? That wouldn't be a problem, will it?"

"Of course not, Son," Victoria began, reading her son's lips, "we don't mind. It has been a long time since we visited the lab."

"Well, Mom," Grissom began signing and speaking simultaneously, "everyone will be busy with this case, so you may not see anyone."

"That's alright, Son," Victoria began, "we'll be fine, as long as that young man's nice stash of good coffee's there."

"Well," Grissom began smiling to himself, as he realized his mother was addicted to Greg's Blue Hawaiian Coffee. "I'll see if I can make a special request." With that, Grissom and Brass headed off in the direction of the conference room, after getting his parents settled in the break room with Greg's Blue Hawaiian Coffee.

"Welcome back, Boss Man!" Everyone said in unison.

In the conference room, everyone was present with the exception of one CSI-3 Sara Sidle. Which, when Grissom noticed her absence, his face fell.

'Isn't that what you wanted?' His head taunted. 'You said you wanted to move on, since Sara was moving on.'

"Hey, Buddy," Brass began, whispering by Grissom's ear, "you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Grissom lied. "Just a little…um, where's Sara?"

"She's off until tomorrow night," Catherine began. "She nearly worked three shifts, so I gave her a day off, with Dr. Carvallo's permission, of course."

"How did you manage to do that?" Grissom asked, totally surprised that Catherine was able to get Sara to take a day off. Grissom knew that Sara was a workaholic just like himself.

"She threatened to make her eat my friend's scones." Detective Sofia Curtis replied, as she entered the conference room. At Grissom's confused look, Sofia continued, laughing a bit. "The girl can't boil water, let along make scones." With that they shared a brief laugh and then it was back to business working on their high profile case.

The team worked well into the afternoon on their case. Catherine, Warrick, Greg and Nick left earlier, as they had to be back at work for the night shift. Grissom, on the other hand was officially still on leave.

As everyone was leaving the conference room, Grissom approached Catherine.

"Catherine," Grissom began, "might I have a word with you?"

"Sure, Gil." Catherine replied. She then followed Grissom to his office. When he closed the door to his office, Catherine knew it wasn't good. 'Uh-oh, I'm in trouble.' Catherine thought to herself.

"Why did you say there were bugs on the DB?" Grissom asked in total confusion.

"Um, Gil," Catherine began unable to put together a coherent thought. "It was the only way to get you back to Vegas and us."

"You could have just said, 'Gil, come back, we miss you.'" Gil replied in slight amusement. He realized that the case wasn't compromised and no one was hurt.

"Gil, I am really sorry," Catherine began apologetically. She was surprised that Grissom wasn't angry. In fact, he was actually joking about it. For that fact, Catherine breathed a gigantic sigh of relief.

"You're forgiven," Grissom replied. "I'll go get my parents so that we can get home and get some rest. I'm wiped out and I bet my parents are wiped out too."

"Have you forgotten our change in plans, Gil?" Catherine began in askance, smiling tentatively. "Your parents will be coming to my house for dinner and will be staying at my house tonight."

"What about me?" Grissom asked incredulously. "Don't I deserve a hot meal? I don't want to be in an empty house by myself. I know I'm not a people person, but, oh never mind!"

"You'll be fine Gil," Catherine began. "Besides, you have to feed your creepy tarantulas."

"You're right," Grissom replied dejectedly. "I do have to feed them." With that, Grissom gathered his parents and headed for Catherine's car.

On the short drive to his Summerlin home, Grissom sat silently in the passenger side of Catherine's car. He thought about the time he and Sara made love for the first time, while he was holding Summer-long lectures at Berkeley College. Sara was his first true love and it was the first time Grissom made love to a woman. He was a 34-year-old virgin.

_**Gil Grissom's First Time at True Love: A wonderful Birthday Gift**_

_Gil Grissom woke with a start. He was in Southern California visiting his parents, Gil Sr. and Victoria Grissom. It was Grissom's 34__th__ birthday, and his parents had big plans for him. His Aunt Lucille and her children would be arriving later this afternoon. It should have been a wonderful day for Griss, being that he was celebrating another birthday. But, he was thinking of the beautiful young woman that he met at lecture. She had chocolate brown hair and chocolate coloured eyes that almost matched her hair. Grissom was smitten immediately. He knew it was wrong for him to have feelings for his student, but he couldn't help himself. He was falling in love with her, after only a few weeks of meeting her. If truth be told, it was love at first sight on Grissom's part, though he tried to hide it. _

_Later that evening, Grissom's birthday festivities were well under way. Grissom sat alone in a corner, looking quite sad. Victoria noticed the sad look on his boyishly handsome face. She decided to call him on it. _

"_Son, are you alright?" Victoria asked, concern evidence on her face, as she signed and spoke simultaneously. "What's going on with you? You've been acting sullen since you arrived."_

"_Nothing's wrong, Mom." Grissom lied. "I'm just tired I guess. 'How do you tell your mother that you love someone that may not love you back.' Grissom sighed in thought to himself._

"_Gilly Bear," Victoria spoke soothingly to her 'grown-up Baby Boy.' "Please don't shut me out. If you need any help, you know I'll always be here for you."_

"_Mom, everything's okay," Grissom lied. "But, I'll be sure to take you up on your offer to help me." Just then, Gil Grissom, Sr. yelled to his wife and the junior Grissom to come into the front of the house._

_When Grissom and his mother made their way to the front of the house, Mrs. Grissom took a bandana and blindfolded her son._

"_Now, Son, don't worry," Victoria began in amusement, "if you follow my directions, no one will get hurt."_

"_What, am I getting kidnapped by my own mother?" Grissom sighed in amusement. "Well, then, take me to your leader."_

_Upon taken off his blind-fold, Grissom was awe-struck, to say the least, because parked in the driveway of his parents' home was the most beautiful silver Mercedes-Benz. Grissom couldn't believe his eyes. He gave his parents the biggest hug he could muster._

"_WOW!" Was all that Grissom was able to get out of his mouth._

"_Happy birthday, Son," Gil Sr. responded. You've made your Mom and me very proud. You really deserve this present."_

"_Yes, Son," Victoria began, crying tears of joy. "You're such a special individual, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, you got that?"_

"_Yes, Mom." Grissom replied simply._

_Even though Grissom got a new car for his birthday, he couldn't hide the fact that he was still very sad. His father didn't seem to notice his sadness, but Mama Grissom noticed it, and decided once again to address it._

"_Gilly Bear," Victoria began addressing her son, "what's bothering you, and please don't tell me that nothing is bothering you. You're unhappy on a day when you should be full of joy."_

"_Nothing, Mom," Grissom lied once again. "I'm just a little tired."_

"_Okay, Gilly Bear." Victoria replied in defeat, knowing that her son a story to tell, but he simply refused to tell it._

An Unexpected and Pleasant Surprise for Grissom

_As Grissom sat with his family and friends, he told jokes in an attempt to hide his deep sadness, but Grissom's mom wasn't fooled at all._

_As they celebrated Grissom's birthday, the doorbell rang. Grissom's father went to answer the door, surprised that anyone would visit their home this late._

"_Yes," Gil Sr. began, "may I help you, young lady?"_

"_Yes, Sir," the person at the door replied. "Is this the Grissom residence?"_

"_Yes it is. I'm Gil Grissom Sr." Gil Sr. replied. _

"_I'm Sara Sidle, and I'm a student of Dr. Gil Grissom." Sara replied_

"_Nice to meet you." Gil Sr. replied. "I take it that you're enrolled in his summer lecture at Berkeley College."_

"_Yes, Sir." Sara replied simply._

_By now, Grissom recognized the voice as belonging to one Sara Sidle, his prize pupil and the woman that had turned his world upside down. He then ran to the door in excitement._

"_SARA!" Grissom exclaimed happily, as he lifted her up and swung her around. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by." Sara replied. She was totally floored by the reception she got from Grissom._

_Grissom stood, unable to move. He was so enamored by Sara._

"_Well, Son," Mr. Grissom began in amusement, "are you going to invite the young woman in or not?"_

"_Oh…Oh," Grissom began in embarrassment. "Yes, Sara, please come in, and forgive me." Grissom stepped aside and let the beautiful young woman, that stole away his heart and his wits, enter his parents' home. Victoria noticed the complete change in her son's countenance._

'_Oh, so that's what's been going on with my Gilly Bear,' Victoria began, smiling in thought, 'He's in love!'_

_Grissom brought Sara around the room, introducing her to his many family and friends that were gathered together for his birthday._

"_You already met my father, I want you to meet my mom." Grissom replied._

_Grissom tapped his mother on her shoulder. He noticed that she was wearing a smile bigger than Texas. He decided to question her about it._

"_Mom, is everything okay?" Grissom asked._

"_Everything is well, Son," Victoria began, her smile getting bigger and bigger, if that was possible. "All is well. And who do we have here?"_

"_Mom, I'd like you to meet Sara Sidle," Grissom began in introduction. _

"_She's one my students taking my forensics seminar. Sara, this is my mother, Victoria Grissom, but don't call her Vickie." They shared a laugh together._

"_Nice to meet you, Sara," Mrs. Grissom replied, extending her hand to the younger woman, that seemed to hold the key to her son's heart._

"_Same here, Mrs. Grissom." Sara replied. She would have continued, but Victoria interrupted her._

"_Please call me Victoria." Mrs. Grissom replied. "Son, why don't you take Sara to see my new garden?" Mrs. Grissom could tell that her son needed to be alone with his lady friend. With that, Grissom and Sara scurried away to the garden._

_As Victoria came to sit next to her husband, she noticed that the elder Grissom had a look of confusion on his distinguished handsome features._

"_What's wrong, Dear?" Victoria asked._

"_I just can't figure it out." Gil Sr. replied in confusion._

"_Figure what out?" asked Victoria._

"_That son of ours." Gil Sr. replied._

"_What do you mean, Dear?" Victoria asked._

"_He gets a brand new Mercedes-Benz for his birthday," Gil Sr. began, "and he didn't look half as happy as he did when he saw the young woman. Go figure."_

"_Gil, Dear, " Victoria began, smiling warmly at her husband. "Our son is in love, and that's the greatest gift anyone could receive. Sara's given our Gilly Bear the greatest gift of all, love."_

_As Grissom and Sara sat in his mother's beautiful garden, they looked at the stars. It was a very beautiful night and the sky was crystal clear and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. _

"_Grissom, your Mom has a very beautiful garden," Sara began, in awe of his mother's exquisite taste and her attention to detail. Victoria's garden had the feel of a garden in Naples, Italy. "Gil, this garden reminds me of the gardens I visited in Naples, Italy, when I was in high school."_

"_Well, we are an Italian family, after all," Grissom began smiling at the beautiful brunette. "Mom's great-great-grandparents came to America in the 1800's from Naples. Her great-grandfather was a well known artist, and he had an art gallery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan."_

"_Wow," Sara began, "you told me that your mom has her own art gallery on Rodeo Drive. Is that why your Mom decided to become an artist?"_

"_Well, my mother is an exceptional artist," Grissom began, proud of his mother's accomplishments. "Here, let me show you some of my mother's paintings. They're just so awesome." Grissom then took Sara by the hand and led her to his mother's in-home art studio. Gil Sr. had an addition put on the house when Grissom was just a young lad. _

_It was getting late; all of the guests had left, except for Grissom's aunt. She decided to stay behind and help Victoria clean up. Sara also helped with the clean-up committee, that is, until Victoria shooed her out of the kitchen._

_Sara was about to call a cab to go back to her hotel. Grissom stopped her, because he wanted to drive her there._

"_Sara, why don't you let me take you to your hotel?" Grissom asked, as he wanted to make sure Sara got back safely._

"_Griss, if it won't be too much trouble." Sara replied. "I don't want to put you out. I know you'd probably want to spend some time with your parents on your birthday."_

"_Sara, it won't be any trouble," Grissom began smiling warmly at her. "If it was any trouble I wouldn't have offered my services to you." They both shared a laugh. With that, Grissom went to let his folks know that he was driving Sara home to the hotel. Sara said goodnight to Gil Sr., Victoria and Lucille. _

_Grissom's mother shocked him when she made her next comment. She excused herself and took Grissom aside privately and said:_

"_Now Son," Victoria began, "we'll be all right if you decide to spend the night with Sara. You have your key, so go and have a good time."_

"_Mom, what are you talking about?" Grissom asked in total confusion. "I'm just going to drop Sara off and head back here."_

"_Son, that's what you're saying now," Victoria began, chuckling a bit, as she remembered Grissom's reaction when Sara arrived earlier "Gil, you need to follow your heart. Don't let love slip through your hands, okay, Son"_

"_Love?" Grissom replied in askance. "Who said anything about love?" Grissom was trying desperately to hide his true feelings for Sara from his mother, which he knew was an impossible feat. Victoria was very wise, especially when it came to him._

"_Son, your feelings for Sara run much deeper than the teacher-student thing that you're insisting on clinging to," Victoria began, fully aware that Sara would be the first woman he would be with, if he decided to take a chance with her. "I know that Sara is your first love, and I realize she would be the first woman that you made love to. Please, Son, just take a chance at love."_

"_Mom, I hear all that you're saying," Grissom replied, taken aback by the fact that his very own Mom knew that he was still a virgin. He was embarrassed and the crimson blush on his cheeks caused his mother to smile._

"_Gilly Bear," Victoria began, as she realized her 'grown-up Baby Boy' was embarrassed about being a 30-something man who was still a virgin. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a virgin and there's no reason for you to be embarrassed."_

"_Okay, Mom, I do hear all that you're saying to me," Grissom began, "but, believe me, nothing's going to happen tonight between me and Sara. I'm just going to drop her off and come back home. I need to get some rest and I need to go over all of my notes tomorrow. I have to prepare the notes and butterfly slides for Monday's lesson."_

"_Anything you say, Son." Victoria replied simply, totally not believing that Grissom would be able to resist Sara, even if he was a virgin, because he was head-over-heels in love with the fetchi8ng young woman. "You need to get going, we've kept Sara waiting a wee bit too long. Drive carefully, Son."_

"_Yeah, Mom, will do." Grissom replied, shaking his head at all of his mother's comments. 'It must be a mother's love, always trying to get their children married off, or something._

**In Sara's Hotel Room**

_Grissom looked around the deluxe custom hotel suite in awe. He wondered how a CSI-1 Criminalist could afford this hotel room. Upon seeing Grissom's confusion, Sara decided to explain, so as not to allow Dr. Grissom to get the wrong idea about her._

"_The room," Sara began in askance._

"_Hmm?" Grissom replied in askance._

"_Do you like it?" Sara asked._

"_Yes, it's quite beautiful." Grissom replied simply._

"_Well, I guess you're wondering how I can afford it on my salary. Huh?" Sara asked._

"_The thought did cross my mind," Grissom replied curiously._

"_Well, you know my family owns a bed and breakfast inn in Tamales Bay," Sara began, as she started to give Grissom the in and out of the hospitality business._

"_Yeah, you told me that," Grissom replied._

"_Well in the hospitality business," Sara began, giving Grissom the ins and outs of the hospitality business. "Sometimes hotel managers give you breaks if you're in the hospitality business. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's a great blessing._

"_That's some set up," Grissom replied._

"_Yes it is." Sara replied, smiling lustfully at Grissom. Grissom was becoming quite nervous. He decided that it was best if he left before anything could happen between he and Sara._

"_Sara," Grissom began, "I'm going to head on back home. I have to go over my notes and my butterfly slides for Monday's lesson."_

"_Griss, do you really have to leave?" Sara asked pleadingly. "You can do all of that stuff in your sleep."_

"_Sara," Grissom sighed._

"_C'mon, Griss," Sara began, once again pleading with him. "Why don't you have a drink with me?"_

"_Griss, huh," Grissom began, smiling in spite of the situation. "I like that."_

"_Like what?" Sara asked sadly._

"_Your new nickname for me, 'Griss," Grissom replied._

"_Oh." Sara replied. With that, Grissom made an attempt to leave, but Sara had other plans. She planted a kiss on Grissom that caught him off guard. He was overwhelmed be his reaction to the kiss. It made him very dizzy. He couldn't think straight._

"_Sara," Grissom sighed after Sara released his lips._

"_What's wrong, Griss," Sara began smiling seductively, "the cat got your tongue?" _

"_Sara," Grissom began breathing heavily, "I'm much too old for you."_

"_Griss, age is just a number," Sara began trying to coax Grissom from his belief. _

"_Look, Sara," Grissom began, "I' um, well, I um, you know.." Grissom stumbled over his words. He wasn't sure if he should tell Sara that he's a virgin at his age. He was so nervous. But, unbeknownst to Grissom, Sara already had him figured out._

"_Yes, Griss," Sara began chuckling a bit, "I know, you're a virgin."_

"_What?" Grissom replied in askance, totally shocked that Sara had it all figured out. "How did you know?"_

"_Because you didn't brag about your many conquests." Sara replied._

"_Most men my age don't do things like that," Grissom began, "at least I hope they don't."_

"_You'd be surprised." Sara replied simply. "I guess you don't want me, and that's no big surprise. Why would someone of your caliber want someone like me?"_

"_Sara, I want you," Grissom began sadly, "I want you so much it hurts, but you're my student and you're 13 years younger than me. I can just see us together, and some young stud come and take you away from me. My heart just wouldn't be able to handle that. I'm sorry Sara, I…I …I just can't stay here any longer. It's just too painful." With that, Grissom left Sara's room in a hurry and in deep sadness._

**Back at Grissom's Parents' House**

_Gil Sr. heard the door open. He nudged his wife, who was sleeping soundly._

"_Gil's back home," Gil Sr. signed to Victoria. "Didn't you say that he wouldn't be back until tomorrow?"_

"_I thought he'd be with Sara tonight," Victoria signed in reply. "Something must have happened. Gilly's nuts about Sara."_

"_Yeah, judging from his reaction when she first arrived, I'd say so." Gil Sr. Replied. "Well, we better see what's up."_

"_Yes, we'd better." Victoria began sadly, as she just knew that Sara was the woman for her Gilly Bear._

"_Gilly, Darling," Victoria began, causing her son to turn to face her. What she saw on her Gilly Bear's face knocked the wind out of her lungs. It was a look of total devastation._

"_Hi, Mom," Grissom responded._

"_Son, what happened?!." Victoria asked._

"_Nothing, Mom," Grissom began, unable to hold back his tears, "nothing, Mom. I…um, messed everything up, Mom. Just like the idiot I am, I messed up."_

_Victoria ran to her son's side and grabbed his hands. She led him to the couch and held him in her arms as he sobbed. Gil Sr. put on a pot of coffee, because he knew this would be a long night. His son was hurting and he didn't know what to do for him. He was so glad that his wife was there, because she knew how to deal with matters of the heart._

"_Honey, I put a pot of coffee on," Gil Sr. began, "it should be done in a few minutes."_

"_Thanks, Dear." Victoria replied simply._

_Turning her attention to her devastated son, Victoria spoke soothingly to him._

"_Gilly Bear," Victoria began, "why didn't you stay with Sara? You know you wanted to."_

"_Mom, she's my student, and she's too young for me," Grissom began, still sobbing a little. "Teacher-student relationships are frowned upon, you know that."_

"_I don't know that, Gilbert!" Victoria replied, using Grissom's full first name. He knew he was in for it now. "All I know is that you're head over heels in love with Ms. Sidle, but you're running away from her love. She's equally in love with you. Don't you realize that?"_

"_Mom, I just don't want to get hurt, is all." Grissom replied. He had seen some of his friends' relationships go south, and he didn't want to suffer the same fate. One of his mentors, a Dr. Richard Harper, who was a noted forensic entomologist, committed suicide after his fiancée left him for a guy her own age. She was 20 years younger than him. No way was he going to go through that kind of pain._

"_Gilly, I know where you're going with this," Victoria began, sadly remembering Dr. Harper's suicide. It devastated the Grissom family, as Dr. Harper became a trusted family friend. "You're thinking about what happened to Dr. Harper, aren't you?"_

"_Yeah." Grissom replied, nodding sadly._

"_Well, unfortunately for Richard, he fell for a woman who only wanted him for what he could do for her," Victoria began, sadly remembering the phone call telling them of Dr. Harper's death by suicide. "Sara doesn't strike me as being that sort of person. She seemed to have a level head. I know I just met her tonight, but just chalk it up to a gut feeling, okay, Son?"_

_Grissom merely nodded his response to his mother._

"_Son, why don't you go back to Sara's and see if you can iron things out with her?" Victoria asked. "I'd hate to see you miss out on your chance for true love."_

"_Mom, what do I say to her?" Grissom asked in sadness._

"_Son, why don't you just tell her the truth?" Victoria asked._

"_And what truth is that, Mom?" Grissom asked a bit to snarky for his mother's liking._

"_That you're in love with her, Son," Victoria replied, totally ignoring Grissom's gruff tone. "You're going to have to let your guard down, Son. You can't go through life this way. You have to let people in. You have to let Sara into your life."_

"_I just don't know about all this, Mom." Grissom sighed._

"_Son, you shouldn't treat your life like you treat your career," Victoria began sadly. "You're a scientist, and a great one at that, but you don't need to have everything figured out in order to move forward with your life. You should just enjoy the ride."_

"_I guess you're right, Mom," Grissom began, "I'm going to take your advice and go back to Sara, if she'll have me,"_

"_Son, she'll definitely have you," Victoria began smiling in hopes that Grissom would be able to smooth things out with Sara. "If she says she doesn't want you, she'll be pulling your leg."_

"_Why would say that, Mom?" Grissom asked._

"_Because she's head over heels in love with you, too." Victoria smiled._

"_You're just saying that." Grissom replied blushing._

"_No, I'm not, Gilly Bear," Victoria began, smiling at her son. "Now scoot! We do NOT want to keep Sara waiting, now do we?"_

"_No." Grissom replied softly. With that, Grissom left his parents' house and went back to Sara._

**Hot Passion Prevails**

_As Sara sat crying over Grissom's hasty departure, she heard knocking. At first she blew it off as it being her imagination. But, when the knocking continued, she realized that someone was at her door._

'_I wonder who could be knocking at my door at this hour?' Sara asked herself in thought._

"_Who's there?" Sara asked though the closed door, as she didn't believe in opening her door to strangers._

"_It's room service," replied the voice from the other side of the door._

"_I didn't order any room service," Sara began, "perhaps you have the wrong room number._

"_The order is for this room, Miss." The voice began, "Suite 542."_

_Sara opened her door, and what she saw on the other side, took her breath away. It was a lavish set up, a meal fit for a king, or in her case a queen._

"_I definitely didn't order this," Sara began confused. Just then, Sara felt the buss boy eyes on her. "What?"_

"_Nothing, gorgeous," the man began eying Sara lustfully, "If you need anything and I mean anything, just call and ask for George." While George was eyeing Sara lustfully, a voice rang out behind George._

"_The Lady won't be needing your services tonight, or any night for that matter," Grissom began, with a hint of anger in his voice. He was also a little amused, because Sara looked like she wanted to pulverize the buss boy. He then knew that his Mom had told him the truth about Sara. She truly did love him. "I'll take over from here," The younger man turned to see what he was up against. When turned and saw Grissom and his powerful forearms, made a hasty retreat._

"_Dr. Grissom, what brings you back here?" Sara asked sarcastically. "I thought I was too young for you."_

"_I…I um…I love you, Sara!" Grissom blurted out, as tears threatened to fall. "I'm sorry I left, I was afraid of us getting together, only to have you leave me for a younger man."_

"_Griss, I'd never do that to you." Sara replied. "I love you, too."_

_With that, Sara led Grissom to the large master bedroom in her suite, where they kissed passionately. Sara shoed Grissom how to love. They made passionate love that night. Grissom became a complete man._

_As they made love, Grissom realized that he was Sara's, lock, stock and barrel and that frightened him. He was afraid of falling in love, only to lose her._

"_Sara," Grissom moaned in desperation. "Promise me that you'll never leave me."_

"_What?" Sara replied in askance, as she was about to drift off to sleep._

"_Promise me." Grissom repeated._

"_Promise you what?" Sara asked, as she didn't really hear Grissom the first time._

"_Promise me that you'll never leave me." Grissom began near tears. "My heart won't be able to take it."_

_I promise you, Baby, I won't leave you." Sara replied, planting a chaste kiss upon his lips_

'She didn't keep that promise, now did she?' Grissom asked himself bitterly. 'She moved on with her life.' 'That's the way you wanted it, isn't it?' His mind taunted him. 'But there's still time to fix things,' his heart soothed.

**We're Here!**

Grissom was shaken from his thoughts. He was finally back to his lonely life. But, little did Grissom know, there was a pleasant surprise awaiting him on the other side of the door.

'I guess I'll be lonely tonight,' Grissom began in thought. Catherine pulled up in front of Grissom's beautiful mansion. His parents we awestruck. The home was beautiful beyond belief.

"Son, this is the new home you told us about?" Gil Sr. asked in shock. "You didn't tell us it was this beautiful"

"Dad, it's just a house," Grissom replied, as he retrieved his bags from the back of Catherine's SUV. Grissom's mother got out of the car to give her son a hug and some words of encouragement.

"Son, you have a wonderful night," Victoria began, pulling her 'Baby Boy' close to her in a great big hug. "You'll feel much better in the morning. Me and your Dad will be just fine, so don't go worrying about us, okay Son?"

"Yes, Mom." Grissom replied. "How do you expect me to have a wonderful night when I'll be all alone?"

"Son," Victoria began, caressing her son's cheek. "Trust me, you'll be just fine." With that, Victoria got back into Catherine's car and they left the sullen man to go into his home.

Upon approaching his front he searched for his house keys. As he continued searching for his keys, he noticed something very strange. He smelled a such a heavenly smell, and it seemed to waft from under the door of his home.

'That can't be," Grissom began in thought. "It must be from one of the neighbours' homes. No one's here.' Grissom finally found his key.

As Grissom stepped inside his home, he realized that the wonderful smells were coming from his home, but how? He turned and noticed beautiful candles spread throughout his living and dining rooms, beautiful Vanilla candles. He then felt a pang of sorrow, as the candles reminded him of the love of his life, Sara Sidle. His sorrow was short-lived, because when he turned around, he saw her, a very beautiful vision. He was totally blown away….

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6 Home Is Where The Heart Is

**CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT**

**Author: **Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note: **This is a totally A/U fic, as I have Grissom's Dad still amongst the living.

**Chapter Six: Home Is Where The Heart Is**

Grissom was totally stunned by the very beautiful vision standing before him. Sara was the love of his life and she was standing in his kitchen, clad only with a very sexy French maid outfit. He approached her with determination in his heart and a bulge in his pants.

"Are you finished in here?" Grissom asked, anxious to get Sara out of the kitchen and into his bed.

"Yes." Sara began in reply. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry, but not for food," came Grissom's husky reply. "I'm starving for you, Sara Sidle. I'm really hot and bothered. I need you and I need you right now, right this moment, Baby!" With one swoop, Grissom grabbed 'his' Sara, and lifted her up in his arms, placing passionate butterfly kisses all over her face hand her neck. His luggage and their dinner was quickly forgotten.

Grissom and Sara made passionate love for a few hours. It was such a beautiful moment for Grissom that he totally broke down. His tears came fast and furious, which concerned Sara.

"Gil, Baby," Sara began with a concern tone, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Sara," Grissom began, smiling through his tears. "Everything's right, perfect even." Grissom was totally happy that Sara gave him another chance that he didn't think he would ever get in a million years.

"Everything is perfect, Gil." Sara replied, smiling at her 'Gilly Bear.'

Grissom and Sara fell asleep for a few hours. At about midnight, Grissom woke up. He was really hungry, as he hadn't eaten anything but pretzels on the flight back to Las Vegas. His movement aroused Sara from her deep sleep.

"Gil, Honey," Sara began, "is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Baby," Grissom began, smiling sheepishly. "I'm hungry." Upon seeing Sara's confused expression, he decided to clarity his comment. "For food this time, Babe."

"Oh." Sara replied, smiling as she got up from the bed.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Grissom began, "let's take a shower together. How does that sound?"

"That sounds like a plan, a real good plan to me." Sara replied, smiling seductively at Grissom.

**--**

**At Catherine's House**

"Catherine, dinner was delicious!" Victoria exclaimed happily. "I just love eggplant parmesan."

"This is Sara's recipe," Catherine replied. "Sara learned how to make veal Parmesan when she helped her family at their bed and breakfast. When she became a vegetarian, she converted lots of her old favorite meat dishes into vegetarian dishes. She has many more recipes just waiting for me to try out."

"I really liked the tiramisu," Gil Sr. replied, "It's truly Italiano!"

"Would you like some herbal tea?" Catherine asked, realizing it was much too late for caffeine. And she didn't have any decaf around.

"No thanks, Sweetie," Victoria replied, reading Catherine's lips effortlessly. "We're both bushed. We had a very long day. We'll bid you goodnight. We'll see you in the morning." With that, both Gil Sr. and Victoria gave the woman they considered their surrogate daughter generous hugs.

**--**

It was midnight at Grissom's home. Grissom and Sara decided to have their dinner. Grissom relit the candles on the dining room table for a romantic glow. He also relit some of the vanilla votif candles to add an extra special glow.

The couple ate in companionable silence, as they both stole glances at each other. Grissom noticed an extra special glow on Sara, one that pregnant women exhibited, but he chose not to call her on it just yet. If she had any news to tell him, he was sure she would tell him in her time. It could be just wishful thinking on his part. Just then Sara happened to look up from her meal noticed that Grissom was staring at her with a strange light in his eyes.

"What?" Sara asked, smiling and wondering why Grissom was staring at her so intently.

"It just seems you have an extra special glow on your face," Grissom replied.

"Well," Sara began smiling, "My parents called and they said that they will be here in about two weeks. 'It's not a total lie,' Sara surmised, 'my parents are coming, I'm just not sure if Grissom can handle the rest of the truth.'

"That's great," Grissom began happily, "I've been dying to see your folks. I haven't seen them in years. I almost thought I'd never get to see them, with the way I've been treating in the past." A cloud of sadness engulfed Grissom, as thoughts of his bad treatment of Sara started to resurface, which Sara nipped in the bud.

"That's just it, Gil, it's the past and let's keep it there, okay?" Sara began firmly, but in a very loving fashion, causing tears to form in Grissom beautiful blue eyes. "We can't changed what's happened in the past, but we can make our future a beautiful experience. By the way, my parents can't wait to see you either,"

"Thank you, Sara, for being so very patient with me," Grissom began, sobbing. "I don't know what you see in a crazy old guy like me."

"For you information," Sara began with a voice heavily laced with amusement. "You're not old."

"Just crazy, eh?" Grissom began, smiling through his tears. "I guess you're right. How many sane guys do you know that race cockroaches and has tarantulas as pets?"

"Not many," Sara began smiling her very special smile that belonged only Grissom. "But who says they're normal? I think all of your odd hobbies are what make you uniquely you. You're so very special to me, Gil."

"You're just saying that," Grissom replied with a shy smile.

"I can't believe you, Gil!" Sara began, unable to stifle a chuckle that eventually escalated into full-blown laughter that was contagious. Grissom followed and the both lost themselves in their laughter.

After a few long minutes, Grissom and Sara were able to compose themselves. After the laughter ceased, Sara finished her thought regarding the fact that Grissom thought so little of himself.

"Gil, I can't believe you think so little of yourself," Sara began, totally amazed at how Grissom viewed himself. "You're one gorgeous man with the sexiest forearms I've ever seen. You have a natural tan that people are killing themselves to match."

"Thanks, Sara," Grissom began smiling warmly at her. "I really needed to that. You make me feel very special. You really love me just as much as I love you."

"Griss, I'll always love you." Sara replied, planting a chaste kiss upon his lips.

With dinner put away and dishes washed, Grissom and Sara headed to the bedroom. Grissom began feeling a little insecure about his and Sara's relationship. Grissom needed to be certain that this relationship is for keeps. He didn't want his heart to be broken into a thousand pieces, never, ever to be put back together again.

"Sara," Grissom began so softly that Sara almost didn't hear him.

"Yeah, Gil?" Sara replied in askance.

"Don't ever leave me!" Grissom blurted out, surprising Sara by the passionate emotion behind his comment.

"Gil, Baby, I'll never leave you." Sara replied, overwhelmed by the emotion that the previously emotionally unavailable entomologist. "You know that by now, don't you?"

"Promise?" Grissom replied in askance, sounding like a young boy.

"Gil, I promise," Sara began, saddened that Grissom was still insecure about their relationship. "Gil, I love you and I'll never do anything to hurt you, ever."

"I love you, too, Sara," Grissom began, feeling peace overtake his heart. He finally knew that Sara was his and his alone, and that she was in it for the long haul. "You've made me the happiest man alive!"

"I do aim to please." Sara replied with that special Sara Sidle smile that Grissom so loved.

Grissom decided to go for broke. He had an antique engagement ring that his Mom had given him about 3 years ago. Grissom really wanted to give Sara the ring, but he was a coward. But now, he had nothing to lose and only true love and happiness to gain.

"Sara, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Grissom asked with a voice full with heavy emotion.

"YES, GIL!!" Sara exclaimed with tears streaming down her face, as she watched Grissom get down on one knee. "YES!! YES!! YES, GIL GRISSOM!!"

After Grissom placed the beautiful antique engagement ring on Sara's left ring finger, he lifted Sara up in his strong arms and they kissed passionately.

"You that we're going to have to let our parents and our friends know about our engagement, Gil?" Sara asked smiling tears of joy.

"Yeah, Sara," Grissom began happily.

**--**

The next morning, Grissom called Catherine and invited her and Lindsey for breakfast, since she would be dropping his parents off at the house. Catherine agreed, and the plans were put into motion.

"Sara, Honey?" Grissom called confused. He was wondering where she was. He then heard strange sounds coming from the master bathroom. When he opened the door, he was surprised at what he found. Sara was on floor sitting next to the toilet. She looked up, smiling sheepishly.

"Um, something didn't agree with my stomach." Sara managed to croak out. Her throat was raw from vomiting.

"How long were you in here?" Grissom asked, concern dripping from his voice.

"It just started a few minutes ago," Sara lied, as she didn't want Grissom getting worked up, as she knew how he was when it came to her.

**TBC**

**A/N:** I updated this chapter, as I forgot to add Grissom's marriage proposal. Well, it just actually came to me tonight. I hope you like the updated version of Chapter 6. Thanx for the kind words. I'm working on Chapter 7, as well as another CSI fanfiction that I started a couple of years ago. I have 15 Chapters done and I'm looking to complete it sometime in August, hopefully, if RL allows me to.


	7. Chapter 7 Happiness Is Where The Heart I

**CSI: JUST ONE NIGHT**

**Author: **Christiangirl177

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter One

**Summary: **Dr. Gilbert Aaron Grissom finds out oh, so quickly that just one night with one Sara Sidle wouldn't be enough.

**Author's Note: **This is a totally A/U fic, as I have Grissom's Dad still amongst the living.

**Chapter Seven: Happiness Is Where The Heart Is**

Grissom helped Sara up off the bathroom floor. As he lifted her up, he put his hand on her forehead to check her temperature.

"You don't feel warm," Grissom began, checking his Sara out.

"Of course I don't have a fever, Grissom." Sara replied in mock indignation. "I already told you that something I ate didn't agree with my stomach. Sheesh!"

"Okay, okay," Grissom began holding up his hands in mock surrender. "You win, Sara, this time."

"I heard that, Gil," Sara replied, smiling in heavy amusement. "Just for that, no noon-time nookie for you."

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Grissom shouted in mock anger and heavy amusement that caused Sara to lose her composure, breaking out in a fit of heavy laughter. Sara's laughter proved to be highly contagious, as Grissom followed suit. It felt good to laugh, as both Grissom and Sara had tough times in the previous months and years.

"Oh wouldn't I?" Sara replied nearly choking on tears of laughter. "Boy did that feel good."

"Yeah," Grissom began with an emotion filled voice. "It did feel good."

--

Just then, the doorbell rang. It was Grissom's parents, Catherine and Lindsay. They were coming for breakfast. Grissom's parents were planning to stay at least a week or two with their son and 'his' Sara.

They had a very nice breakfast of blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, veggie bacon and coffee. It was a very nice time that the friends spent together. The rest of the gang came by on their way from the lab, as Catherine sort of invited them to Grissom's home for breakfast before heading to their homes and beds. Grissom didn't seem to mind.

Grissom and Sara decided share their happy news about their engagement. Sara called her parents in Tamales Bay. She put the speakerphone on and shared their happy news. Everyone rejoiced for couple.

All of the breakfast guests left Grissom's home, leaving his parents and Sara. Just then, Sara bolted to the bathroom, leaving in her wake a frustrated Gil Grissom an amused, albeit, very happy Victoria Grissom. Grissom's father had decided to take an after breakfast nap on the very comfortable sofa in Grissom's family room.

"Gilly Bear, what's wrong with Sara?" Victoria asked, trying to see if what she suspected.

"She always tells me that something didn't agree with her stomach." Grissom replied in frustration. "I would ask her what's wrong, but she'd tell me the same thing."

"Well, Son, how long has been going on?" Victoria asked.

"She told me it just started last night," Grissom began, "but I suspect that it had been going on much longer than that."

"Oh, really?" Victoria began, smiling in amusement.

"Mom, what's so funny?" Grissom asked, as confusion crossed his handsome features. Grissom did NOT consider this situation funny.

"Oh, my Sweet Prince, don't you get it, do you?" Victoria asked her beloved 'Baby Boy.'

"Get what, Mom?" Grissom asked, still confused at his mother's amusement.

"Did it ever occur to you that Sara might be pregnant?" Victoria asked, hopeful that Sara was carrying her first grandchild.

"No, it really didn't," Grissom began, embarrassed that the thought never crossed his mind.

"Well, Baby Boy, you know what you're going to have to do, now don't you?" Victoria asked with a broad smile on her beautiful face.

"Yeah, Mom," Grissom replied. "The hard part is getting Sara to cooperate."

"Leave that to me, Son." Victoria replied, happy to help her son put things back into perspective.

**--**

**A Few Weeks Later**

Grissom took Sara to the emergency room of Desert Palm Hospital. She had a very high fever. As Grissom sat nervously with Sara, waiting for the doctor to see them, he immediately thought about the events of the past few months. It was very painful for him, as he thought he had lost 'his' Sara forever. He was so grateful for the fact that she gave him a second chance.

"This time," Grissom began speaking softly to himself, "I won't blow it."

"Did you say something, Gil?" Sara asked groggily.

"I was just saying that I'm grateful that you gave me another chance for love with you, Sweetheart." Grissom replied honestly. "By the way, I like it when you call me Gil."

"I know." Sara replied groggily.

"How did you know that?" Grissom asked curiously.

"Your face always lit up whenever I called you by your given name." Sara replied. As she was getting ready to let sleep claim her, the doctor chose at that moment to make his entrance.

"Hello," the doctor began looking at Sara's chart, "Ms. Sidle. My name is Dr. Stanley Stanhope."

"Hi, Dr. Stanhope." Sara began cautiously. Dr. Stanhope turned towards Grissom, apologetically.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Stanhope began, "Is this your husband, Ms. Sidle?"

"He's my fiancé." Sara replied happily.

"Nice to meet you?" Dr. Stanhope began, in askance.

"Gil Grissom." Grissom finished for the doctor, extending his hand in greeting.

"Dr. Gil Grissom, the famed forensic entomologist?" Dr. Stanhope began in askance.

"I don't know about being famous, but yes, that's me." Grissom began chuckling a bit.

"It's a real pleasure to finally meet you." Dr. Stanhope replied. "My grandson is attending UNLV and he's working on his Bachelor degree in forensic entomology. He's been reading some of your many articles. He's a very huge fan of yours."

"Perhaps he'll like to come by the lab sometime," Grissom began, "I'd like to give him a tour of the lab. Let him know that we have internships available, that's if he's interested."

"Thank you, Dr. Grissom." Dr. Stanhope replied happily. "I'll be sure to let him know of your offer to give him a tour of your lab and of the internship."

"Ms. Sidle, I set up blood tests for you," Dr. Stanhope began, getting back to the issue at hand, "so the lab clerks will be here shortly to take you upstairs." With that, Dr. Stanhope continued make his rounds in the ER, with a promise that he would be back to give Sara the results on her lab work.

--

Dr. Stanhope came to Sara's ER cubicle with the results of her lab work. The smile that Dr. Stanhope had plastered over his face was an indication that Sara's condition wasn't serious. Sara was anxious to know the results.

"Ms. Sidle," Dr, Stanhope began smiling. "You're pregnant."

"I'm pregnant?" Sara replied in askance. Grissom was too shocked to say anything, but he was overwhelmed with happiness.

"Yes, you are." Dr. Stanhope replied.

"How far along am I?" Sara asked.

"You're nearing twelve weeks." Dr. Stanhope replied.

"Oh." Sara replied. She realized that she was experiencing morning sickness for nearly that long, mistaking it for mild food poisoning.

"We're having a baby?" Grissom replied in askance, finally finding his voice.

"Yes, you guys are having a baby." Dr. Stanhope replied. With that, Dr. Stanhope left the couple to discuss and digest this information.

--

Grissom decided to call his and Sara's parents to let then know that Sara was pregnant. They also made the decision to get married real soon.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Here is another chapter. I apologize for posting Chapter 6 content in Chapter 7. This is the correct content. I hope you all like it. This is nearing the end, as I have one or two more chapters left in this story. ENJOY!


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